Coaching to strengthen critical success factors in integrative care for chronic fatigue patients: the Patient Needs-Resources Model

Diana Araja; Angelika Krumina; Zaiga Nora-Krukle; Marion E Schneider; Uldis Berkis; Modra Murovska

doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1202930

Coaching to strengthen critical success factors in integrative care for chronic fatigue patients: the Patient Needs-Resources Model

Front Neurosci. 2023 Jul 21:17:1202930. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1202930. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Diana Araja¹, Angelika Krumina², Zaiga Nora-Krukle¹, Marion E Schneider³, Uldis Berkis⁴, Modra Murovska¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.
² Department of Infectology, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.
³ Department of Experimental Anesthesiology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
⁴ Development and Project Department, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.

Abstract

Theoretical and empirical studies discover that an integrative approach is particularly important in chronic disorders and multiple long-term conditions, such as chronic fatigue. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a classic example of a potentially severe, multisystemic illness with a wide diversity of symptoms and the corresponding diagnostic complexity. The prevalence of CFS-like syndromes expanded in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing the disorder and treatment burden. Thus, this article aimed to draw attention to the possibilities to strengthen the integrative approach to diagnosing and treating chronic disorders and multiple long-term conditions. The main critical success factors identified for integrative approaches were: a holistic approach, that provides a more comprehensive diagnostic and personalized treatment strategy, a multidisciplinary team, and patient engagement. The strengths and weaknesses of these factors were explored and coaching was identified as a potential unifying and reinforcing element. Coaching has a wide spectrum of manifestations clearly representing a holistic approach, that has been successfully used in multidisciplinary team building. Moreover, coaching exposes support addressing the patient engagement issues identified by the Patient Needs-Resources Model (PN-R Model) such as low levels of self-efficacy, optimism, and subjective well-being. Coaching may assist patients to identify and prioritize their goals, becoming aware of their personal resources, developing strategies for managing symptoms, and building skills to increase their self-efficacy and active engagement in the treatment process. Therefore, the authors emphasize coaching as a perspective element of optimization of patient care, that requires additional theoretical and long-term empirical research.

Keywords: health-related quality of life (HRQoL); holistic approach; multidisciplinary team; myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS); patient engagement.